Through the Looking Glass
by mayuralover
Summary: Inspired by Yilena. Through a mirror, Fate can show you your soulmate or no one at all. When Adrien passed by his mirror, he expected to see the same thing he saw every other day-white walls, white carpet. He didn't expect to see a girl, though. (No Miraculous AU)
1. At First Sight

**_Drabbles inspired by Yilena's soulmate au stories "Amour Fou" and "Allez Savoir Pourquoi", where you can see your soulmate in the mirror. Not necessary to read either of these, but they are wonderful stories (rating: Mature-so be warned) that you should definitely check it out._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1: At First Sight_**

When Adrien was 10, he walked past his full-length mirror to see a girl playing with her dolls. In the mirror. A girl. Dark hair and blues eyes in a pink room that was definitely not his spacious white-walled room. To say he was startled was an understatement. In fact, he was so shocked that he tripped backwards on a book (his mother would later scold him for not picking up his things) and crashed to the floor. Adrien rubbed his bruised elbow and quickly glanced back to his mirror to see if the girl had heard, but it appeared as if she hadn't. Slowly, he crawled over to his mirror and tapped on the reflective surface.

 _Tap, Tap._

Nothing.

The girl continued twirling her doll as if something life changing didn't just happen to a young, blonde boy. But it did and it prompted Adrien to knock a little harder on the mirror.

 _Knock, knock._

Still nothing.

"Hello?" Adrien called. "Hey, who are you?" But the girl didn't look up and continued to brush her doll's hair.

"Adrien, I heard something loud. Is everything okay?" His mother was on the other side of the door! He couldn't let her see the girl!

"Uh, nothing! I just fell! Don't come in!" Adrien yelled. Of course, that just sounded suspicious, and his mother came in to see her son standing protectively in front of his mirror, arms outstretched.

"Honey, why are you standing in front of the mirror like that?" she asked.

"No reason!" Adrien yelped. "I'm not hiding anything!" He clapped his hands over mouth when he realized his mistake.

His mother shook her head and smiled; her sweet boy couldn't lie to save his life. "Adrien, step away from the mirror." She beckoned him closer to her and he relented. "Dear, it's just a mirror. What on earth could you have been hiding?"

"What?!" He whipped his head around so fast she was afraid he got whiplash. "You don't see the girl? She's playing with her dolls!"

"A girl _in_ the mirror? Oh, Adrien. Is it really time to tell you?" his mother mumbled to herself.

"Tell me about what?" Adrien asked, curious.

"The girl in the mirror is your soulmate."

* * *

After a lengthy discussion on the topic (only lengthy because Adrien had so many questions), Adrien was excited. A person to share his life with, someone he could trust and talk to about anything. Someone to love, just like his parents loved each other. If only he could meet her! But as his mother said, she could be anyone in the world, and since she couldn't see him yet, they had no way of communicating.

"So, there's no way to talk to her, and I can only watch her...that's a little creepy, Mama," Adrien said.

"Well, honey, that's why we set boundaries. We don't know what time it is where she is, but when we figure out when morning and evening is for her, we'll pull this sheet over the mirror, just in case she's changing." His mother picked up a white sheet and draped it over the mirror, obscuring the image of the girl's room; its occupant had left earlier.

"That's a good idea."

"Tonight, see when she goes to bed, and we'll have an idea of the time zone she lives in. You said she looked about your age, so she'll have about the same bedtime, if she lives in our time zone."

"Okay!" Adrien hadn't been so excited for bedtime to come. This was the first step to getting to know more about his soulmate!

"Mama, tell me more about when a person sees their soulmate."

"Well, Adrien, it just takes time. Some people don't see their soulmate for many more years, or they don't have a soulmate to see."

"That's a little sad," he said, frowning. He hadn't even met the girl yet, and he couldn't imagine how life would be without her now.

"Well, honey, it's just fate working in mysterious ways, and sometimes, fate takes people away. You'll meet her someday, I know it."

Later that night, Adrien was thrilled to see that the girl was making her way to bed the same time as he was. While he wore his soft, blue fleece pajamas, she wore pink pajamas with a flower pattern. He was also surprised that her bed (from what he could see in the mirror) was a loft bed! Well, he couldn't be jealous; he had so many toys and movies in his room and even a staircase to his own personal library that he couldn't want for more.

Settling into bed, both sets of lights turned off, his and hers, and he could make out her glowing fairy lights as he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the moment they would meet.

* * *

 **There's the first chapter! I've got about 6 already written, but with no plan for where this is going, updates will be sporadic and if there _is_ going to be an ending, it might be rushed. See you all later!**


	2. Feeling Pain

_**Welcome back to "Through the Looking Glass!" I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. These will be sequential drabbles on their daily lives, but with time skips. As you'll read, the events in this chapter occur about 3 years after the first chapter (and other time skips are explicitly said).**_

 ** _Chapter 2: Feeling Pain_**

Her parents were soulmates and she relished in the story of their meeting. On a Halloween night, their university campus was holding a costume party. Both were getting their outfits ready-Sabine as a witch and Tom as a werewolf. They were both standing in front of their own mirrors when suddenly it wasn't their reflection they saw but each other. After their initial shock wore off, they had the great idea to exchange phone numbers by writing sticky notes to each other, and they realized that they were going to the same party. After they met, the rest was history.

Marinette was 13 and always dreaming of when she would see her own soulmate. She imagined looking into his eyes (sometimes blue, sometimes brown, but always changing) and gazing at his perfect smile. They'd fall in love, marry, and have three kids and a hamster. She never imagined going through the trap door of her room to see a blonde boy her age flexing in the mirror. Out of the mirror's sight, she took a minute to quell her giggling, but it turned into full blown laughter when she saw him kiss his bicep. This boy was ridiculous! She wanted to go out and greet him, but if he was flexing in front of the mirror, then he hadn't seen her as a soulmate yet.

So Marinette kept to herself and was content to watch him from across the room, out of the mirror's range. Some days, she thought she caught the boy glancing back at her, but too quickly, he would turn back to his books and her to her sewing. _Someday_ , she thought. She'd meet him someday. Unfortunately, without her full-length mirror, she had to have another one installed on the wall so that she could try out her creations.

* * *

It was a year since she first saw the boy when she saw something disturbing. Instead of the happy boy studying some unknown subjects or cuddling his pet cat, it was a broken boy sitting at the foot of his bed with his head in his hands. Tears slid down his face, and she could see his shoulders wracking from sobbing. Without sound, it hurt her so much more.

Marinette ran to her mirror; she wanted to hug him, hold him, make his pain disappear! Banging on the mirror, she was desperate for him to notice her, even though all she did was in vain. She couldn't wipe away the boy's tears and her own blurred her vision.

* * *

Later, she put the puzzle pieces together: the kind woman she sometimes saw-his mother, she guessed- was gone. Died, disappeared-it didn't matter, but it brought her soulmate great sorrow, and it felt like she had lost her own mother. For weeks afterwards, she saw the boy lay in bed, clutching a framed picture of the woman, depressed with only his cat as a companion. She longed to be by his side to comfort him, too.

Suddenly after a month, he wasn't in bed anymore. He threw himself back in his studies, and she saw equipment and materials for more extracurriculars-language books, a fencing foil and mask, and lately, piles of nice clothing that were later cleared away by maids. She was glad to see his spirits lifted and that motivated her to continue her own projects-left abandoned to mourn for her soulmate's mother.

Though she herself couldn't do anything to alleviate his pain, she hoped that someday he would see her and let her into his heart; she wanted to understand his feelings, too.

* * *

 **Thank you again for the support, you guys. It just makes me so happy to see all of the encouragement!**


	3. To Love

**_Welcome back, everyone, and hello to my new readers! Here's a treat for you guys! Get ready for some feels in this chapter. Happy? Sad? Find out right now!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: To Love_**

Without being able to hear her side of things, Adrien had to guess at what nationality the girl was and where she lived, but he could figure a few things out: her mother was Asian, probably Chinese, and her father was European. He also learned that the family baked a lot, so he wouldn't be surprised if they owned a bakery or café. Later, the girl's scattered drawings of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and her homework let him know where she lived: Paris, just like him.

Today, the girl in the mirror seemed frustrated again. This time, it wasn't because of a wrong stitch or because she had tripped over various sewing materials again. No, Adrien could see that this was caused by the girl's mortal enemy. To learn more about her, he was motivated to learn a little lip reading, and from what he could see, she was ranting again.

"Why does she do this? Why me? Ugh, sometimes, I think she hates me."

Adrien frowned. Whoever this bully was, at least she didn't physically harm his soulmate again. The first time, his soulmate came home with her hair in disarray and dripping wet-her bully had poured something on her. Adrien wished he could have done something to protect her, but four years later and his soulmate still hadn't seen him, so he could only look from afar as the girl wallowed yet again.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since that incident, and Adrien watched as the girl's mood slipped; she wasn't as cheerful, she didn't sing and dance around the room. One day, Adrien came into his room to see something disturbing. Instead of the happy girl who showed off her handmade dresses or shirts in the mirror or, as of late, the girl who sat silent while doing her homework, he saw her sitting with her back to her pink chaise and facing him, sticking needles into her arm. Adrien had heard of self-harm and read articles on depression and anxiety, but he never thought that his soulmate would feel so low that she would resort to that!

The girl had about 10 needles stuck into her left lower arm, some drew blood, others were shallow enough not to. Did she want to feel pain? What brought this about? Was it her bully?

These questions haunted Adrien while he ran to the mirror, clutching the frame and shaking it to somehow make him believe that the image he saw wasn't true. He couldn't protect her then, and he couldn't protect her from harming herself now, and this tormented him to no end.

Adrien brought his hands up to the glass, clawing at it and yelling at the girl to try to get through to her. "You can't give up! Let me help you! You don't have to do this!" He yelled. He wished with all his heart that he could hold her in his arms and take her pain away. He leaned heavily on the mirror having exhausted himself in his cries, when suddenly he wasn't leaning on the hard surface of the mirror anymore. It was as if the mirror turned into thin air, and Adrien found himself flailing to keep himself upright.

He crashed onto the wooden floor and groaned as he lifted himself onto his arms. _Wait…wood?_ / Adrien thought. _But I have white carpet in my room!_

A strangled gasp alerted him to exactly where he had fallen. Not three feet away was his soulmate, mouth agape and tears streaming down her face. Not only had a mysterious boy fallen through her mirror, but he had witnessed the girl at her lowest point, hurting herself. Adrien lamented at the predicament he found himself, but was struck out of his reverie when the girl spoke.

"Wh-who-wha-what…where-what? Y-y-y-you!" The girl gasped.

"Don't be afraid! I know you! Well, not really, but I've seen you!" Adrien said, scrambling to collect his thoughts. He glanced down at her arm, which still looked like one of her pincushions.

Self-conscious, the girl turned away from him, hiding her eyes underneath her bangs. "I don't care who you are, just go away!" She cried, clenching her fists and making her needles wobble.

"No, I won't go away! I can finally talk to you now! You're hurting, but you don't have to be alone!" Adrien said, crawling over to the girl. He laid a hand gently on the girl's right shoulder and leaned her against his body. With his other hand, he grasped her left fist, uncurling her fingers and caressing the half-moons her fingernails made in her palm. "Please, let me be here for you, girl. Let me be someone you can lean on."

The building emotions finally burst from the dam she held back and she sobbed against him. While she cried, Adrien gently removed the needles from her arm-she didn't give him fuss, and the pain didn't even phase the girl.

Scooping the girl in a princess lift-that's what she is, his princess-he sat her on her desk chair and rummaged around her sink for the first aid kit he had seen her use multiple times. Adrien carefully cleaned the blood from her arm and applied ointment, choosing small flower bandages to cover the bigger wounds. By now, the girl had calmed down and looked curiously at the boy. Perhaps he should explain who he was.

"I'm sorry that I came barging in! I, well, I saw you, and I knew that you were sad, but I didn't think it was going to get this bad, and I just had to do something-I just didn't think that I would fall through my mirror here and-" Adrien stopped when the girl jumped up to wrap her arms around him, interrupting him mid-ramble.

"You're my soulmate," she breathed. "Thank you."

He returned the gesture in disbelief-she knew who he was! He nuzzled into her soft hair and smelled the wonderful scent of baked goods. In any other circumstance, this would have been strange, but there and now, they were two soulmates finally united.

"You know that I'm your soulmate?" Adrien whispered. "For how long?"

"A little over a year now?" the girl said.

"A YEAR?!" Adrien exclaimed, pulling away. "I've seen you for four years now!"

"What! That long?!" The girl gasped. "That means you could see my room when you were flexing the first time I saw you?" The girl hid a smirk behind her hands and nodded to her mirror.

"Flexing…," Adrien took a second to think about what she was talking about and immediately flushed. Several times, he wanted to test if she could see him, so he'd make ridiculous poses in front of the mirror. Apparently, she had seen him once and didn't show any sign!

"So, you just let me embarrass myself like that? Look at all the time we've lost because you didn't let me know that you've seen me!" Adrien laughed.

The girl sat down on the floor and joined in laughing. "Well, I figured that if you were flexing, you were looking at yourself, so you couldn't see me. Usually, soulmates leave a note so that the second one knows when the first one has seen them."

Adrien took a seat beside her and asked, "Then why didn't _you_ put up a note?"

Marinette stuttered out, "I…well, I was shy, okay? And you sort of forget things when something like seeing your soulmate for the first time happens."

Adrien chuckled. "I suppose we're both at fault then. So, uh… may I ask your name?"

"Asking and not volunteering your own? Well then, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she introduced herself.

"Marinette…" Adrien said, testing it on his lips. He had been waiting for this moment for four years. Marinette blushed when he said her name so gently.

"My name is Adrien Agreste. At your service, my princess," Adrien said, giving her a mock bow and taking her hand into his to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"Adrien…Agreste? As in the son of my fashion icon?" Marinette yelped.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, since you're into fashion and making your own clothes," Adrien said. "It's hard to forget a face like mine." Adrien said this last part and leaned closer to her, noting that she had freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks. Cute.

"Hey, hey, I pay attention to the clothes more than the people wearing them," Marinette said, pushing Adrien away with a finger to his nose. Adrien grinned. So cute. _I'm in love with this girl_ , Adrien thought.

Or maybe he didn't think that last part in his head, because the shade of red Marinette turned rivaled that of a ladybug, and he could feel his own rising temperature when he realized it.

"Ah, so uh-! Do you think we can exchange numbers, Adrien?" Marinette said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, of course! That way if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll just be a phone call away." They exchanged numbers and he put hearts in her name. "You know, you can tell me what's going on; I'll listen. Is this the same reason why you've been sad the past few weeks? Is it about that girl who bullied you?"

* * *

Marinette was startled. Just how much did her soulmate know? The evident shock on her face spurred Adrien to explain how he learned to lip read so he could understand her better and how he saw when her bully first dumped water all over her.

"Chloe-that's her name. She's been making my life miserable since her mayor of a father transferred her to Francoise Dupont," Marinette said.

"Chloe Bourgeois? She's a friend of mine. Well, I know her because my family knows hers. 'High society.'" Adrien said, with finger quotes. "She's a bit clingy and a little snobby, but she's never been mean."

"Well, you clearly don't know her that well, because she's a rude, cruel, and insensitive person that belittles those she sees as peasants." Marinette huffed, obviously miffed that Adrien would try to defend the rich brat. Then again, if Chloe had never bullied her, Marinette and Adrien might not have ever met.

Adrien waved his hands in front of him, clearly trying to disperse the rising tension. "No, I totally understand that now, Marinette; she's a mean person who puts herself above others. And I can't defend anyone who would dare hurt a kind and beautiful person like you, Marinette. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from her." Adrien reached a hand out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ears.

"You know, I don't need protection, Adrien. I've been fine on my own. I'm not some damsel in distress," Marinette said, nuzzling his palm with her cheek.

"You're right, you're so much more than that, Princess. I just can't stand that I had to watch you spiral down to…this. That you hurt so much, and I couldn't do anything about it…" Adrien said. Marinette could see unshed tears in his eyes, and she thought back to her previous actions. The small needle marks weren't noticeable if you didn't know what to look for, but ones covered in bandages would remind her soulmate of what he couldn't stop.

"Adrien, you reached out to me-you found me! And I am so so thankful that you are here right now. I can't imagine telling this to anyone else," Marinette said. She laced her fingers with his and kissed his hand, returning the gesture from when he first introduced himself. "I know that I haven't known you for as long as you've known me, and I might not be able to lip read, but…I'm in love with you, too."

She gave into the temptation of pulling him into a hug, and only pulled away just to lean up and press a kiss to his forehead. "Thank you."


	4. Read My Lips

_The last chapter went way longer than it should have, and it kept going! So I've decided to cut it and make the following a new, albeit shorter, chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading!_

 _**_ _...Aaaaand it seems like in all of the panic and news about the strong winds stirring up fires around my area, I forgot to post this chapter! Don't worry, I'm okay-the fires are mostly contained and the air quality is back to decent. Onward to the chapter!_

 ** _Chapter 4: Read My Lips_**

Later in the evening, Marinette would tell Adrien about the time she saw him mourn for his mother the first time. It turns out that she had been in an unfortunate accident and was currently in a coma, showing no signs of waking up even more than one year later. That brought another round of tears and hugs, but this time, they had each other to hold on to-they weren't alone and wanting anymore. They talked about why Marinette hadn't been able to cross her mirror to his room, but they just explained it away as fate working in mysterious ways.

Of course, this prompted them to stand in front of her mirror again. Would Adrien be able to go back through the mirror? Or would they be having the awkward conversation with her parents of how Adrien had appeared in Marinette's room? And again, with Adrien's father with why he was out past dusk. Marinette tentatively reached out to touch her mirror. It was solid.

"What if it doesn't work again?" Marinette asked.

"Then I guess I'll be meeting your parents, Princess," Adrien grinned, though his nervousness was apparent with the way he forced the use of her nickname. "Well, here goes nothing." Adrien took a step towards her mirror, and like walking through a waterfall, the glass shimmered and parted to let him through. "It's working!"

Marinette took a risk and held the arm that hadn't passed through the mirror yet. Adrien smiled and tried to pull her through, but she was blocked entrance into his room. Adrien frowned and unfortunately let go of her hand to push the rest of his body through the mirror. It was weird to finally be able to look at each other through the mirror. They were practically in the same room, but they couldn't touch, talk, or hear each other. He said something to her, but Marinette shook her head and indicated that she couldn't hear him. An idea formed and she ran back to her desk for her cell phone, showing Adrien that she was going to call him.

"It's weird to have to call your phone to talk to you, Adrien. Especially since we're right in front of each other."

"But now we can talk to each other whenever!"

"Marinette, time for dinner!" a voice called from below.

"Oh, that's Maman. I have to go now, but I'll see you soon, Adrien."

"Okay," Adrien said. "I'll see you soon, Princess. I need to go down to dinner as well."

Marinette hung up her cell phone, but she hesitated to leave right away. Adrien cocked his head to the side, wondering what was keeping her.

Marinette made a show of mouthing "read my lips," and after Adrien nodded, she said the words that would have him walking on clouds the rest of the evening.

 _"_ _Je t'aime."_


	5. Chatting

_Well, the previous chapter was exciting! Now it's time for them to reveal each other to their parents! Or try to…_

 ** _Chapter 5: Chatting_**

Before heading downstairs, she made sure to wear a sweater to cover her arm; it was one thing for Adrien to worry and feel bad, but her parents would not rest until she told them everything about Chloe.

Even though she was clumsy, she couldn't help but leap down the stairs in joy. She had finally met her soulmate and nothing could bring her mood down! The look on his face after she told him she loves him was priceless, and she hoped to have more chances to make him smile just like that. Her parents saw their daughter's happy mood, and while they were relieved to see Marinette return to the happy go lucky personality, they wondered what spurred this change.

"Marinette, you seem to be in a much better mood than you were when you came home," Sabine remarked. "Did Alya tell you something exciting?"

"Ah, Maman, Papa! I have exciting news to tell you!" Marinette exclaimed. "I finally met-" She cut off abruptly when she realized that she and Adrien never discussed their story together. She couldn't very well and tell her parents that her soulmate phased through their mirrors into her room!

"Who did you meet, Sweetie?" Tom asked.

"Well, my soulmate. I finally met my soulmate," Marinette said, blushing. She would have to come up with a believable story and make sure Adrien knew the story later.

"Oh, that's so exciting, Marinette! We've been waiting for this day since you were born!" Sabine said excitedly. "Go on, tell us about finally meeting the boy!"

Marinette swallowed the mouthful of soup she had and began. "Well, it's been a little over a year since I've first seen him-you two know this. But it turns out that he's already seen me for four years!"

"Four years!?" Tom exclaimed. "How did that happen?"

"Well, we didn't know that we could see each other, but then today, I felt a little…well, sad, and when I looked at the mirror, we saw each other," Marinette said, calculating every word that she spoke so that their meeting didn't seem too absurd. It was mostly the truth anyways; he _had_ seen her sad, and that was how they met. Her parents didn't need to know more than that.

"Oh, Honey, you know that you can talk to us about anything that's upsetting you. But we're glad that you finally met your soulmate. Does he have a name?" Tom said.

"His name is Adrien Agreste," Marinette replied.

"Agreste? The son of that fashion designer you like so much? Who is also a model?" Sabine asked.

"The very same. I can't believe that I didn't recognize him, either!" Marinette said. She sipped some more of her soup and chewed the soft vegetables while her parents continued to gush.

"Well, it seems like a match made in heaven-a model and designer are soulmates! You can design clothes for him to wear!" Tom said.

"Or," Sabine interjected, "You can start by giving him the gifts you already made for him. Don't be surprised that I've seen that box that says, 'to my soulmate.' The blue scarf and hat, right?"

Marinette blushed again and thought back to those two gifts. The Santa hat was a Christmas present, and since she didn't know his birthday, the scarf was made a month later. There were various other embarrassing gifts she had made that she probably wouldn't give to Adrien, though-Valentine's day cards, poems, little sketches of him doing his homework or petting his cat.

 _That reminds me, I should get to know him better-I don't even know his birthday!_ Marinette thought.

"May I be excused now, I still have homework to do, Maman, Papa?" Marinette asked.

"Of course, Marinette. Don't stay up to long doing homework or talking to your soulmate, dear," Sabine said, sharing a grin with her husband.

"I won't!"

* * *

Back in her room, she saw that Adrien had already finished his dinner and sat in front of his mirror playing with his cat. The moment Marinette was in range, Adrien brightened up, using one of his cat's paws to wave at her.

Marinette grabbed her phone and made a show of taking his picture. She snapped a picture of Adrien holding up his cat by the paws, a dazzling smile that made her heart beat faster. She set the picture as his profile picture and threw up a peace sign when Adrien took out his phone to take a picture of her.

 _Can I call you?_ Marinette mouthed. Adrien nodded. Marinette tapped on his contact information, put her phone on speaker, and set her phone on the ground. Adrien set his cat into his lap and mirrored (ha!) her actions.

"So how was dinner?" Adrien asked.

"It was fine. I told my parents about meeting you. That means we're going to have to straighten out our story. I told them that we didn't realize we could have seen each other for months now-which is true-and that when you saw me…looking sad, that's when we saw each other. It's mostly true. An omission of details, but yeah…"

"I guess they'll want to meet me soon?" Adrien asked, rubbing his hand over the cat's back.

"Doesn't have to be soon. They didn't push for that. Anyway, when are you going to tell your father?"

"Well…I thought about it, but I'm not sure how my father would react to it. Four years ago, I told my mom about you, but I'm not sure she told Father, and he never brought it up, so I assume he doesn't know."

"Are you saying that you wouldn't bring me up to your father?" Marinette asked. She had a right to be disappointed, but maybe Adrien had a reason for holding back?

"That's not what I'm saying! It's just harder to bring up the idea of my own soulmate when my mother is still in the hospital," Adrien whispered.

"Okay, I understand, Adrien, it's okay." Marinette set her palm against the glass, and Adrien pressed his palm against his own mirror. They couldn't feel each other's warmth, but it was enough to know that they understood each other. "Anyway, I want to know more about you! How about we play 20 Questions?"

For the rest of the evening, they asked each other personal and impersonal questions-birthdays, favorite holidays, colors, and seasons, and so much more. Those few hours passed by so quickly, and it seemed as if they fit a whole lifetime of friendship in that span of time.

Marinette's eyes were starting to droop when she looked back down at her homework again. She had finished most of it and was grateful that Adrien could help her with the math and science.

"Princess, you should go to bed, it's almost midnight," Adrien said. Plagg, his cat, had long left the two to their own devices and was sleeping in Adrien's bed. "We both have to get up in the morning."

"Fine, fine. Stay on the phone until I get to bed?"

"Of course."

Drowsily, Marinette rose to put her school work away, and they continued to chat about their day tomorrow. Working on autopilot, Marinette turned to her dresser to pull out a pair of pajamas and started to remove her shirt before Adrien's yelling caught her attention.

"Hu-what?" Marinette said, midway through removing her shirt, her arms halfway out of her sleeves.

"I said 'wait!' At least warn me so I could draw the sheet over the mirror!" Adrien said, his face was red, and his eyes were turned to the floor.

Oh. He was embarrassed! "Adrien, you're a model, don't people change in front of you all the time?"

"Well, yeah, but not girls! It's inappropriate!" Adrien exclaimed.

Wide awake now, Marinette pulled her shirt back down and sauntered over to the mirror, giving him a smirk and saying, "If you were really embarrassed, you would have drawn the sheet already, Adrien. I think you're just a little curious." She tapped the mirror to emphasize her point.

"Well-whatever! I'm going to change in the bathroom, and you should too!" Adrien rushed away without even taking his phone with him, and Marinette giggled. She wouldn't torture him like that. She took her sleep clothes into the bathroom and changed there. By the time she had come back, the image of Adrien's room was replaced with white cloth.

"Adrien, I'm decent, now," Marinette said.

"Good." The sheet was removed and Adrien was holding up his phone in one hand with the sheet in the other. "Well, I guess goodnight?"

"Yeah, good night, Adrien," she whispered.

"Good night, Princess."

They both hesitated to hang up, and Adrien chuckled at that. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Marinette."

"I'm glad you fell through my mirror, Adrien. Today has been the happiest day of my life. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." They finally hung up the call and moved away from the mirror and towards their own beds. The last thoughts in their heads as they drifted off to sleep were of each other, and there could be nothing better.


	6. Courage in the Face of Fear

_Nice to see you all again! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave me some of your own thoughts! Another shout out to Yilena for inspiring this series. The subtitle for this chapter is "Heart to Heart."_

 ** _Chapter 6: Courage in the Face of Fear_**

A few weeks after he first fell through Marinette's mirror, Adrien stood outside his father's home office wringing his hands nervously. He had another talk with Marinette about bringing her up to his father, and even though he didn't think he was ready, Marinette seemed to think that his father wouldn't react badly. Clearly Marinette was too optimistic or she thought her luck would transfer over to him. Her ever present encouragement finally motivated Adrien to speak to his father, but the fear was still real. If all went well, Adrien and Marinette wouldn't have to rely on their mirrors to see each other, and they could hang out like normal friends do. But if the opposite were to happen, Adrien may never get to see her again.

(That also meant he couldn't hold Marinette again, and if that was 70% of the reason for finally plucking up the courage to tell his father, then sue him, because he really really wanted to hold Marinette again.)

 _Knock, knock._

"Come in, Adrien," the voice called. Adrien gulped and pushed open the door. At his desk sat the pristine Gabriel Agreste, not a hair out of place, though from the various papers and documents scattered on the desk, Adrien could tell that his current project was frustrating him. "You wanted to discuss something, Adrien? Please make it timely, I've much to do."

"Of course, Father. I wanted to talk to you about soulmates," Adrien started.

"Did your mother not tell you all her little stories about soulmates? I don't believe this is the time for me to tell you about it," Gabriel said, frowning.

"No, that's not it. Mother did tell me all about soulmates. But I want to tell you that I…I met my soulmate. In fact, I've seen her for the past four or so years, and we met a few weeks ago," Adrien said. His palms were sweaty and shoved them in his pockets.

The surprised look on Gabriel's face was something that didn't appear very often (at all), and Adrien was almost relieved that his father's initial reaction wasn't negative at all.

"That's quite the news, Adrien. And why haven't you said a word of this the last four years?" Gabriel asked.

"I honestly assumed Mother told you when I first saw my soulmate, so I never thought to bring it up. I realized my mistake, but I didn't think about telling you until my soulmate convinced me too. To be honest…ever since Mother's…hospitalization, I didn't know how you would react to something like this." Adrien said, looking down at his feet.

At this, Gabriel stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of his son. Adrien startled when his father placed a hand on his shoulder. "Son, I know that things haven't been the best since the accident, but do not think that this estranges us. I care for you and your wellbeing. I might not show it with as many emotions or in as many words, but I am happy that you and your soulmate have finally met. I might not seem like the most attentive father, but I have noticed your happier moods and eagerness to be excused from the dinner table. I didn't want to assume, but I had the feeling that it was your soulmate making you so happy. So, please, come talk to me."

Adrien couldn't explain how he felt at that moment. This was the most emotion he had heard from his father since the day of his mother's incident, and it was sad to say it, but he had never felt more love from his father since that day. "Father…I don't know what to say…but thank you."

"So, son," Gabriel said, returning to sit behind his desk. "Tell me more about your soulmate."

Adrien brightened up and relaxed in his seat. "Well, Father, she's kind and cheerful and she loves fashion-she really looks up to you. She's got these gorgeous blue eyes, and her favorite color is pink…"

Adrien went on and on about Marinette, and all the while, Gabriel gave him his undivided attention. A small smile graced his face, and Gabriel could see a lot of his younger self in his son.

"Adrien, it seems as if you are absolutely smitten with this girl. I am happy for you. However, you've forgotten the most important detail."

Adrien thought back to his previous words. Her birthday? No, Gabriel had even made a point of offering to take Adrien shopping when the time came. He mentioned Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie and Patisserie and her love of sweets, and he noticed Gabriel take a quick note down. What was he missing?

Seeing the bewildered look on his son's face, Gabriel decided to spare him the confusion. "Does your soulmate have a name?"

…

…

…

"OH!" Adrien mentally face palmed himself. "Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Then we shall have to pay the Dupain-Cheng family a visit some time. It wouldn't do to keep the two of you apart any longer.'

"Will you truly let me visit her, Father?" Adrien asked. This was what their conversation had been leading up to, and he hoped to give Marinette good news soon.

"Of course. I know how important soulmates are, and I would not want to get in the way of that. In fact, I will call their residence today and ask to meet them as soon as we can," Gabriel said.

Adrien couldn't be happier! He was going to meet Marinette again, and if all went well, then he could visit her whenever he wanted!

"Thank you, Father!" Adrien jumped from his seat and ran around the desk. He threw his arms around his father, but the sudden adrenaline drained when his father stiffened in his embrace. Adrien thought he had ruined the moment, but his heart warmed when his father turned around to give him a proper hug. "I love you, Father."

"I love you, too, Adrien."

* * *

 **A/N: Had some problems with formatting, so hopefully it's fixed? Also, sorry for the late update, I'm having trouble with the next few chapters-pacing and whatnot, so I hope this chapter is decent.**


	7. Vis a Vis

_Heart to heart with Gabriel in the previous chapter, how precious. See, he's not all that bad! I would also like to keep this as season 2 spoiler free as possible, and as of writing this (November 13), I've only watched the first three episodes, so let's keep the rest of the episodes as hush hush! Thanks again for all your support!_

 ** _Chapter 7: Vis-à-vis_**

 _I'm late, I'm late, I'm so late!_ Marinette internally screamed. Her mother had specifically told her to come home at 17:00, but as always, she was caught up in her dream world of colors and fabrics and had spent a good hour after school had ended sifting through different yarn at the local fabric store to find the perfect shade of green to match Adrien's eyes. Sure, she still had all those other gifts she had to give him, but when the designing bug bit, Marinette was helpless to stop her hands from creating. It wasn't a complete waste of time, however, and she left the store with a soft cotton blend yarn that would make for a good pair of mittens.

Her feet slapped the pavement as she made a mad dash towards her home, weaving in between pedestrians and only stopping to catch her breath when the crosswalk signal turned red. A buzzing in her purse startled Marinette, and she winced when her mother's contact photo showed on the screen along with the time. _17:15_.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Maman! I'm just a block from home; I'll be there soon!" Marinette immediately said when she answered the call.

"Oh, Marinette, and I reminded you this morning, too. What are we going to do with you?" Sabine said. However, her tone held its usual lightness, and Marinette knew she wasn't truly in trouble.

"Maman, you never told me why I had to be home by then, so of course I'm going to forget!" Marinette whined, crossing the street and taking her time making her way home.

"It's not polite to keep guests waiting, that's all I'm going to say, dear. Hurry home now," Sabine replied, disconnecting the call abruptly.

"Maman? Guests? Who-? Oh, great," Marinette said. Another minute of walking, and she arrived home, readjusting her purchase and pulling open the front door of the bakery.

Her father greeted her, saying, "Oh, Marinette, you're finally home. Now I can close early, and we can head upstairs."

Marinette was confused. "Close up early? Maman was talking about guests, what's she talking about, Papa?"

"Oh, you'll find out _very soon_ , dear. Now flip over the sign, and we'll make our way upstairs," Tom said.

It didn't take much longer to stow away the unsold baked goods and to close the store, and soon, the two were heading upstairs to their home. Before opening the door, Marinette heard the calming voice of her mother and a deeper, sterner sounding voice. The guests, Marinette guessed.

"After you, Marinette," Tom said, gesturing to the door.

"Eh, okay…" Marinette twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door, saying, "Maman, I'm home. You said something about guests-" Her jaw couldn't have hit the floor harder when she saw who was in her living room.

"Okay, Plagg, how do I look?" Adrien turned towards his cat showing off his outfit-a simple t-shirt with a button up and his favorite blue jeans. "Casual, but not too casual, right?" Plagg opened one eye and gave him an uncaring "meow" before getting more comfortable in bed to continue snoozing. "Oh, you're no help, Plagg! I have to look good for my first-second?- meeting with Marinette!" It had been difficult to keep the meeting a secret ever since his father had arranged for them to have dinner at the Dupain-Cheng's. His mother may have said more than once that he couldn't lie to save his life, and it proved just as difficult to keep this surprise from Marinette for a whole week. As far as he knew, Marinette was the only one kept in the dark, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction when they arrived at afternoon. Adrien's heart was thumping in his chest at the prospect of being able to be with Marinette again. Sure, they talked every day, but seeing each other _truly_ face to face was a whole other experience.

A knock at his door alerted him of his father's presence. "Adrien, are you ready?"

Adrien trotted to his bedroom door and eagerly yanked it open. "Yes, Father! I'm ready! I can't wait for you to meet Marinette!"

Gabriel gave a small, knowing smile at his son's enthusiasm. This dinner was certainly a good idea, and the joy his son's soulmate brought to him was worth more than a thousand clothing designs.

A few minutes' drive was all it took to get to the boulangerie, but suddenly Adrien seemed to have second thoughts. "What if they're really busy, Father? Maybe we can schedule to come in another time…" Adrien said, wiping his palms on his jeans to get rid of the sweat and the clamminess.

"Son, this is what you've wanted for months. Are you afraid to see Marinette?" Gabriel asked.

"No, that's not it!" Adrien exclaimed. "I just…what if her parents don't like me? What if they don't like me and forbid me to see her and then they'll take away her mirror and phone and I won't be able to talk to her and-"

To be honest, Gabriel had stopped listening to his son ramble about what ifs. Goodness, Adrien definitely took after his mother when it came to an overactive imagination, and it was times like this where he wished his wife would be able to support him and give Adrien the encouragement he needed. She was the parent who was good at pep talks.

Laying a hand on Adrien's shoulder, Gabriel stopped him midsentence. "Son, there is nothing to be nervous about. An Agreste man does what he can to make the best first impression, and if your descriptions about their daughter give any indication of her upbringing, they will adore you, as well."

Adrien brightened up, and Gabriel gave himself a mental pat on the back; he wasn't too bad at this pep talk thing.

At 17:00 on the dot, they stepped through the bakery door, a cheerful bell chiming their presence. Adrien took a moment to take in the shining glass display cases and the clean tile floors, a warm and comforting aura permeating the space.

"Good afternoon! Oh, you must be the Agrestes!" A booming voice called out. Adrien turned to see a bear of a man step out from behind the register, offering a hand to his father. "It's good to finally meet _the_ Gabriel himself."

"Likewise, Tom," his father replied. Turning to him, he said, "This is my son, Adrien, though you might have guessed that already."

Adrien shyly held out a hand for Tom to shake, but the man bypassed that to give him what Marinette called "the famous bear hug."

"Ah, Adrien! Marinette has said so much about you! Sabine, come out and meet Gabriel and Adrien!" Tom called.

From the back room, Sabine emerged with a pleasant smile. "Good afternoon, Gabriel, Adrien. It's so nice to finally meet you two." Sabine shook his father's hand, and Adrien's heart warmed to receive another hug. His father was right, he didn't have anything to be afraid of! "Oh, you are much more handsome in person than those photos Marinette has of you, Adrien."

Adrien blushed at the thought of Marinette keeping photos of himself, but he wasn't an innocent person, either, because he kept candid shots of Marinette on his phone.

"Shall we head upstairs?" Sabine asked.

Adrien perked up. "Is Marinette waiting for us upstairs?"

"She isn't, actually. You may not be aware of it, but Marinette isn't the most punctual person in the world. In fact, I should give her a ring just in case she's forgotten," Sabine said. "I'm sorry to keep you two waiting. Perhaps if we had told her instead of keeping this as a surprise, Marinette would have made sure to come home by now."

"It's okay," Adrien said. "It's a quirk of hers that I like. She's scatterbrained, but really puts her focus on things important to her. Marinette is likely at the store buying materials, if I know her well. Besides, imagine her reaction when she sees us!"

Adrien couldn't help but listen in on Sabine's phone conversation with Marinette, and even though the speaker wasn't on, he recognized Marinette's frantic voice on the other side. Sabine winked at him when she mentioned "guests," and after the brief conversation, Sabine hung up the phone. "She's just around the corner, so let's head upstairs. This way, please."

Tom spoke up, "I'll stay down here and close the store while Marinette gets home. She'll likely have a lot of questions about our 'guests.'"

Nodding, Sabine led Adrien and his father towards the back of the store and up the stairwell. Unlocking the door to the residence, Sabine opened it to a very inviting and pink living space. Adrien took a guess that Marinette had some hand in their interior decorating, if her own pink bedroom was anything to go by.

"Thank you again for making time to visit us, Mr. Agreste. Marinette will be ecstatic to finally meet you two," Sabine said, offering the two a seat on the couch and a cup of steaming tea. Adrien guessed that she made the pot just before they arrived, judging from the temperature of the liquid.

"It is our pleasure, Sabine. Soulmates have been a very big part of Adrien's life, and this first meeting will undoubtedly be the start of something new," Gabriel replied, politely sipping on the tea.

The two adults continued to engage in small talk, but Adrien couldn't help but fidget in his seat. He didn't want to seem rude, so he continued to sip on the tea, glancing at the front door every few seconds as if willing Marinette to appear.

"Adrien," Sabine called to him. He turned towards the woman and was embarrassed to see a smirk on her face. "A watched pot doesn't boil, as they say."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm just nervous," Adrien said, setting his tea and saucer on the coffee table.

"As expected, it _is_ your first time seeing Marinette in person," Gabriel said. "Perhaps…"

At that moment, the door knob jiggled, and a voice called out, "Maman, I'm home. You said something about guests-"

Adrien stood up from his seat and turned towards the front door. Later, he would retell the tale of a magical moment when their eyes met, Marinette's blue eyes growing comically wide as she dropped a bag of supplies and practically leapt at Adrien. Of course, Adrien caught her, hands around her waist as he staggered to accommodate her.

"Adrien!" Marinette cried, arms around his neck and almost in tears, though her wide smile was definitely a testament to how she was feeling at the moment. "How are you here right now?"

Adrien chuckled and tightened his hold on Marinette. "Surprise? So, this is what happened after I talked to my father about you last week!"

"And you kept this a secret from me this whole time! But I'm so happy to see you, Adrien," Marinette said. She rubbed her face into his neck, forgetting where they were now, and even though he reveled in the intimacy, Adrien realized what it must look like to their parents. Looking up, he wasn't surprised to see Tom and Sabine cooing and Sabine holding up her cell phone to catch the moment. His own father was having difficulty keeping a smile off his face and raised an eyebrow at him.

Gabriel cleared his throat and Marinette finally realized what she was doing, jumping away from Adrien and covering her red cheeks with her hands. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, it is a pleasure to finally meet the girl who has captured Adrien's attention and affections. Gabriel Agreste," his father said, offering her a hand to shake. Marinette was momentarily stunned and merely stared at her idol's hand until Adrien nudged her with his shoulder, reanimating her.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Agreste! I've looked up to you for so long, and for you to be the father of my soulmate-why, I've never felt luckier!" Marinette explained, enthusiastically shaking his hand.

"And I, you. I believe that you are a fellow designer, and I look forward to seeing your progress towards this career," Gabriel said.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Marinette answered, vigorously nodding her head.

"Now that we're all acquainted, shall we go on to supper?" Sabine asked.

Dinner was a warm affair, and Adrien didn't have to guess that the liveliness was putting his father in a good mood. Like himself, perhaps his father also missed the feeling of a family dinner, and only one more thing could have made it perfect-his mother. Afterwards, the dishes were put into the sink to be washed later, and Marinette took Adrien by the arm to pull him aside.

"Adrien, are you staying for long?" Marinette asked. She hoped to spend some time with him, but it would have been selfish to ask him to stay longer than Gabriel had wanted them to. Gabriel noticed the two teens and said, "We adults have some things to discuss, so you two are more than welcome to talk in your room, Marinette."

"Thank you, Father!" Adrien said, and as if he already knew where her room was (of course he knew), he led Marinette up the stairs, and her trapdoor slammed down in their excitement to get away from their parents.

Sabine watched on fondly and said, "I believe this is the start of something beautiful."

"Indeed, and while they connect, I didn't lie, because we _do_ have things to discuss, Tom, Sabine," Gabriel said, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Oh, yes, we do. While their futures are their own, as parents, we can't help but want to make sure they are as happy as possible," Sabine said. "So we bend fate as we can…"


End file.
